Biography: One of the greatest fight choreographers in kung fu cinema, Yuen Woo-ping is credited as a pioneer in the Hong Kong kung fu comedy genre. His prolific filmography has taken him from Hong Kong to Hollywood and encompasses work with a roll call of martial arts stars including Donnie Yen, Jet Li, Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan, as well as auteur directors including Ang Lee, Quentin Tarantino, Tsui Hark and Wong Kar-wai.

Yuen Woo-ping was born the eldest of 10 siblings at the end of the Second World War. His name means ‘peace’ in Cantonese. His father, the actor and martial artist Simon Yuen Siu-tien, trained his sons in Beijing Opera. Many of Simon Yuen’s sons would follow their father into the Hong Kong film industry, and are collectively known as the Yuen Clan. His siblings include Sunny Yuen Shun-yee, Brandy Yuen Jan-young, Yuen Cheung-yan and Yuen Yat-chor.

Woo-ping performed as an actor, extra and stuntman for the Shaw Brothers studio throughout the 1960s and early 70s. He had brief acting appearances in a number of classic titles including One-Armed Swordsman (1967), The Boxer from Shantung (1972) and The Blood Brothers (1973). He slowly developed his skills behind the camera as an action director on a number of independent kung fu titles. In 1975, former Shaw Brothers employee Ng See-yuen launched his own production company, Seasonal Films, as a platform to nurture young and emerging talent. Ng was first introduced to Woo-ping via Shaw Brothers choreographer Tong Gaai. Ng summarily hired Woo-ping him to work as fight choreographer on Snuff Bottle Connection (1977) and Secret Rivals II (1977).

Woo-ping’s directorial debut was the highly successful kung fu comedy Snake in the Eagle’s Shadow (1978) for Seasonal Films. The film grossed nearly HK $3m at the Hong Kong box office, and along with the follow up Drunken Master (1978), helped to not only launch Woo-ping as one of Hong Kong‘s best new directors, but also skyrocketed its star Jackie Chan to international acclaim.

The two films, including a follow up to Drunken Master called Dance of the Drunk Mantis (1979), helped to re-launch the career of Yuen Woo-ping’s father Simon Yuen, playing the alcoholic antihero Beggar So, or ‘Sam the Seed’. Simon Yuen was set to reprise the role in Woo-ping’s The Magnificent Butcher (1980) but he died early in production.

Woo-ping continued to direct throughout the 1980s predominantly making raucous, highly innovative action comedies, many of which would feature other members of the Yuen clan. In 1984, he helped to launch the career of Donnie Yen with the film Drunken Tai Chi. In the early 1990s, Woo-ping concentrated more on fight choreography, helping to re-launch the Hong Kong kung fu revival alongside ‘new wave’ auteur Tsui Hark for the Once Upon a Time in China films. Woo-ping was chosen by Tsui Hark to replace the film’s original fight choreographer Lau Kar-wing.

It was his fight choreography on Fist of Legend (1994) which caught the attention of the Wachowski Brothers, who hired Woo-ping for their groundbreaking sci-fi action film The Matrix (1999) and its two sequels. Woo-ping summarily became the first choice choreographer in Hollywood for Hong Kong style action. He was hired by Ang Lee to choreograph the kung fu sequences in his Oscar-winning wuxia film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), for which Woo-ping won a HK Golden Horse Award. In 2003, Woo-ping was chosen by Quentin Tarantino to choreograph the action in his kung fu revenge opus Kill Bill. He has most consistently collaborated with Jet Li having worked together on 11 titles so far, both in Hong Kong and America. In 2012, Woo-ping’s name was among over 70 celebrities featured on the Hong Kong Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Speech! “In each film, I would design the action based on the script, the character’s personality, the level of martial arts. I’ve never thought about handling the past, the present, the future of this or that person. I don’t carry such burden. I don’t worry about not doing well.” Wu-Jing.org

On choosing the best of his own films: “Drunken Master would be number one, Tiger Cage at number two, Iron Monkey at number three. Tiger Cage is quite unique because it has a contemporary setting, rather than being a costume drama. Another favourite of mine is called The Miracle Fighters, but western audiences might struggle to identify with that because it’s a very Chinese story.” Twitch Film